Tomb hopping at Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO Heritage Site

I have always been fascinated by antiques and ancient times. Although we aren’t capable of time travel, travelling across borders, to some extent, allows us to experience the passage of time.

I recently got the chance to explore AlUla, one of the oldest cities in the Arabian Peninsula with layer upon layer of human history and heritage. Its old town with a labyrinth of streets tightly packed with remnants of the original stone and mud brick buildings, mountains with centuries-old inscriptions, massive rocks shaped by natural forces and calming oases with emerald-green date palm groves left me astounded. However, I was yet to witness what is referred to by locals as the Jewel in the Crown of Alula.

On a clear morning warmed by the blazing sun, we were driving on a flat desert road surrounded by rocky outcrops jutting into the sky. Many of the rocks were quite impressive in size and adorned with beautiful detailing. The carvings were unlike anything I had ever seen before. Wide-eyed, I rolled down the windows of our speeding car for an obstacle-free view of what seemed like archaeological marvels to me. Little did I know that this was just the preface of the book we were about to devour.

After pulling up the car and taking a short walk, I found myself standing under the shade of a giant boulder, the size of a building, carved with classical-style columns and a stepped crown. I was at Hegra, Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO Heritage Site and the mysterious, rock-cut structure that stood majestically on the sand was the monolithic tomb of Lihyan Son of Kuza.

It is Hegra’s largest tomb, measuring about 72 ft in height and also called Qasr al-Farid, meaning the Lonely Castle in English, because it is detached when it comes to its position from other tombs. Pointing at the tomb, our rawi (Arabic storyteller and guide) Alhanouf said, “This tomb was created around the 1st century CE but left unfinished for unclear reasons. It means that the individual who commissioned this never got to be buried here.” Taking a closer look, I noticed some rough chisel marks at its base. “The craftsmanship and accuracy of the work slowly deteriorating closer to the base of the tomb indicates that it was chiselled from the top down,” added Alhanouf.

Now, a living museum, Hegra, was once a prosperous trade hub and the city of the almost-forgotten Nabataean civilisation. It contains 111 carefully hand-carved tombs in which the Nabataean elite were laid to rest. The tombs here bear a striking resemblance to those in the more famous sister city of Petra in Jordan. While Petra played the capital, Hegra, roughly halfway between Petra and Mecca, was the Nabatean’s second city and a base for their day-to-day life.

While transport of choice can vary, from private cars to group buses to horseback rides, we decided to get on the 4X4 open-top vintage Land Rover to take a tour of the vast open-air museum that is Hegra. Driving through the scrub-speckled golden landscape as far as the eye can see and countless boulders, large and small, boasting unrivalled architecture, I had a million questions in my mind.

Who were the people who built these tombs? Where did they come from? Why did the architectural style of the tombs symbolise? I was curious about it all.

Our rawi explained that Hegra, a provincial city on the Nabataean kingdom’s southern frontier, was a key city on the ancient trade route along which incense, spices and other valuable commodities were transported from Southern Arabia and Jordan to the Mediterranean ports for shipping onwards, as well as continuing overland to Mesopotamia. I could visualise camel-drawn caravans laden with piles of fragrant peppercorn, sugar and cotton passing through the roads we were driving on.

“The society of the Nabateans, desert-dwelling nomads turned master merchants, flourished here from the middle of the 1st century BCE until the 2nd century CE,” she said. The Nabataeans not only controlled the trade routes but also supplied aromatics, such as frankincense and myrrh. Taxation on this trade provided income for the city, enabling it to prosper. We were told that Hegra was also a significant route for the caravans heading towards Makkah for pilgrimage until the 20th century when the Hijaz railway was constructed.

At every site in Hegra, we were greeted by a new rawi; many were locals from AlUla, who as kids, ran and frolicked around the tombs. Mentored by archaeologists, these guides not only share interesting details about the historical site but also speak fondly of their connections to the place.

By now, we had arrived at our next stop which was Jabal Al Banat, a cluster of 29 tombs, one of the largest in Hegra, that have skilfully carved facades on all sides of the sandstone rock. The name Jabal Al Banat refers to the number of tombs owned or commissioned by or for women. Many include intimidating inscriptions to protect the tomb; warnings of divine punishment for trespassing or attempting to secretly occupy a tomb or altering its scripts or contents.

Despite the popularity of Petra, people hardly know anything about the Nabateans who inhabited it. “The challenge with getting to know the Nabataeans is that they left behind little first-hand records,” said our rawi. However, the tombs in Hegra are in much better condition than those in Petra, allowing you to get a deeper insight into the customs and beliefs of the Nabataeans.

Many tombs in Hegra feature inscriptions that record who commissioned them and when, or the name of the craftsman responsible for carving them. Moreover, the size and the level of ornamentation of tombs reflect the status of the person, families or groups whose remains they were built to hold. High up the mountains, there are simpler pit graves where people of lower social status were probably buried.

As we walked through the site, we found tombs dedicated to healers, military figures, local leaders and others. Our rawi drew our attention to the symbols, on the tomb facades and entrances, created to protect them from intruders. Many show influences from the Greek, Roman, Egyptian and Persian societies with which the Nabateans traded. These include eagles, sphinxes, griffins, Medusa-like masks, snakes and other symbols such as urns and rosettes. We also saw betyls featuring stylised eyes, noses and mouths; many act as representations of the gods. The facade of one of the tombs featured an eagle with its head destroyed. “When the Roman Empire annexed a huge swath of Nabataean land which included Hegra, they also destroyed some details on the tombs,” added our rawi.

The Nabataeans borrowed from various empires like the Greek, Egyptian and Roman and developed their own designs. Some of the most commonly-used elements include capital-topped columns, triangular pediments above the doorway and a crown consisting of two sets of five stairs. Each element has a meaning to it. For example, the stairs on the uppermost part of the tomb facades represent a soul waiting to be transported to heaven.

Our inquisitiveness about the interiors of the burial chamber had us entering one of the tombs. We found the interiors, which seemed to have been hollowed out by removing the stone in blocks, to be relatively simplistic in contrast to the often elaborate exterior decoration of the tombs.

Whizzing around from one remarkable tomb to another, we felt like we were in an Indiana Jones film. What was surprising was the reverent silence throughout. Since the place had opened to tourists only recently, we had the privilege of discovering it minus the hubbub of the reel-making, selfie-clicking crowd.

Moving to the east of the city of Hegra, we arrived at Jabal Ithlib which looked utterly unique. Religion and ritual at Hegra seem to have been concentrated in this area. We were standing facing a mountain carved into a large room with benches carved into the rock around three walls and an open front. The Diwan, also known as the triclinium or dining area, was an important room for gatherings such as royal banquets and political meetings. “The Nabateans prepared common meals together in groups. This is where they would retire and socialise over food and music,” the rawi promptly informed. Its open front indicates that some events that took place there were public.

After honing our knowledge of the inner workings of the Nabatean society, we walked through the Siq, a narrow but colossal natural passageway through the mountains, to reach a central area with carvings and inscriptions relating to their religious practices. A water channel flows through the centre of the mountain range and leads into a natural water basin and eventually into a cistern. This proves that the Nabateans were not only experts at harnessing natural water resources but also skilled at directing and storing rainwater. This, perhaps, explains the name ‘Nabataean’ which has been linked to the Arabic word ‘Nabatu’ meaning water which springs from the well.

The Nabateans were undoubtedly innovative, imaginative, and pioneers in architecture and hydraulics.
By now, we were coming to the end of our tour in Hegra. With sand in our mouths, hair, and shoes, we were practically bathed in the dust.

At the Handcraft Pavilion (souvenir store), we admired the local artwork from the region of AlUla. Waleed, one of the friendly store attendants, offered us qahwa (traditional Arabic coffee), dried fruits and dates. Taking in the whiff of cardamom from my qahwa, I was trying to gather and absorb everything we had witnessed in the last few hours.

I realised that the Nabataeans were, perhaps, one of the most enigmatic and captivating civilizations that I had ever come across. The feeling that came from meeting face-to-face with history in a place that was left practically undisturbed for more than 2,000 was indeed special and otherworldly. I must hold on to it for a while, I thought to myself.